Black as Night
by HeartCurl23
Summary: After a car accident, Lovino kept himself distant from everyone to be with his daughter at such a crucial time. Meanwhile, Antonio eats himself away with guilt that is should've been him trapped with vision black as night. No moon nor stars. Just black.
1. Prologue

Why her? Why now? _'s just a girl. More importantly, she's my daughter. She was supposed to be the best artist in the country, impress the world with her drawings and paintings. Now, how could she draw or paint anything? Doctors told me she can't see, and I'm hoping it's just a figure of speech and she'll just need glasses from now on.

Antonio, Francis, and Gilbert all three sat in the stiff chairs, their heads low and mouths silent in guilt. Ludwig and Arthur came to bring Gilbert and Francis home, but they stayed there in the large room of sick or depressed people when they found out why I was there. I paced back and forth in the white hall that wreaked of the stench of band aids, the events of earlier that day racing through my mind.

She wanted to spend the night at Tomato bastard's house with French bastard and Potato bastard's brother. She insisted on spending more time with Antonio, and when I found out his plans to have Francis and Gilbert over too, I wanted to say no, but _'s face made that impossible. Besides, she's a teenager now, and would've left whether I said "si" or "no".

From what I understand, that night, Gilbert was drinking beer until he was loopy, Francis was drinking whine, and Antonio had several drinks of tequila, so _ had to drive them back to Antonio's house. Because of her lack of driving experience, she got in a wreck. The BTT, all three being on the back seat, only got minor cuts, bruises, and burns while _ had pieces of the windshield in her face. The airbag didn't help much either, and only knocked her unconscious as the small fire started.

By the time police and ambulance got there, the other driver was arrested for a DUI, and _, along with the BTT had to be rushed to the hospital. They all were in the car that was burning, while the other driver had the chance to escape his car before it could catch fire.

It wasn't until morning when I got the call.

"Ciao. What do you want?" I answered the phone in the same grumpy way that I always do when I'm woken up.

"Is this the Vargas house?" the man on the other line asked.

"Si." I sighed, rubbing my face tiredly. "Why?"

"Are you the guardian of Ms. _ Vargas?"

At the sound of my daughter's name, I stiffened, removing any trace that I just woke up. "...Si." I answered. "Did something happen?"

The man took in a sigh and stated in the straightest, most bland tone I'd ever heard, "_ was in an accident last night. She is currently at the hospital."

I froze in shock. After standing there, trembling for a few moments, I put the phone back to my ear and tried to hide my shaky voice. "Why wasn't I informed last night when the accident happened?"

"We just identified her. Her face was beaten so much, we couldn't identify her until we removed the melted glass." That sentence alone turned my stomach into knots. "We also have the three men she was driving with, if that means anything to you." I simply hung up and rushed to my car keys.

I passed by the sight of the accident on my way to the hospital. Beyond the yellow tape, there was glass everywhere, and the airbags were deflated and hanging out the broken windows. The car didn't even look like a car at all, but more like a closed, charred accordion, light smoke still rising from the windows. The airbag on the driver's side of the car my daughter was in had a face print in burned blood that made me only see red. The other car wasn't as badly damaged, just a dent in the side doors and broken windows. That's what really pissed me off.

My little girl suffered the most of anyone else in that accident. Why? Because someone was drinking from the beer bottle that was now broken and out the driver's window of the dented car.

When I finally got to the hospital, I was flooded by the BTT trying to apologize and say that it should've been them. Though I didn't say so, they were right. It should've been those three in the hospital room so beaten up, they couldn't be identified. Ludwig and Arthur were already there, but since Gilbert and Francis refused to leave, they stayed too.

This brings us back to myself pacing the white hall that wreaked of the stench of band aids, the BTT sitting in the stiff chairs, their heads low and mouths silent in guilt. Arthur and Ludwig sitting with them.


	2. Change

Finally, the doctor came out and called, "Vargas!" I spun at the sound of my family name as the doctor explained _'s condition. "Your daughter just got out of surgery. She has third degree burns that will take much more time to heal, and her face was fairly disfigured. We just finished rebuilding her face, and she won't be able to leave for a while, but that's not my real concern. We found several pieces of glass in her eyes, making each blink painful for her. Also, the fire gave her a similar result to someone that stared directly at the sun because the fire was close to her eyes, which, again, I only assume were forced to be left opened. She'll be recovered enough to go home in a month or so, but I'm afraid her eyes would never recover. If you're lucky, she'll need a strong prescription for glasses, but if not, she'll be totally blind."

I chuckled humorlessly, biting my cheek in annoyance. "That doesn't answer my question. Can she see, or can't she?"

"We still don't know." the doctor answered. "We'll know when the bandages come off, but until then, pray for the best, but prepare for the worst."

I took in a deep breath. "Can I see her?" I asked as the doctor nodded.

Antonio, followed by Francis and Gilbert rushed up too, causing me to glare daggers at them. "Can we see her too?" they asked.

The doctor looked between the three of them and sighed. "I suppose...one of you three. Are either of you three related to her by blood?"

"Antonio's mio grande fratello." I stated. "Gilbert and Francis are just his friends."

With that, the doctor led Antonio and I to Justine's room as Francis and Gilbert returned to their seats with Ludwig and Arthur.

When we got there, _ looked like a mummy. From head to toe, she was wrapped in white, bloodstained bandages with a little tube sticking in the bandage where her nose would be. Little tubes and wires stuck out from several places in the bandages. When the doctor left, I glared at Antonio, grabbing _'s completely wrapped, stiff hand and sitting down in the pulled up chair. With how stiff her whole arm was from her shoulder to her fingertips, it was like holding the hand of a plastic doll. I couldn't bend her arm, or even lift her arm past a small angle.

Antonio couldn't bear to see her as I glared at him. "Look at this." I finally spoke, causing him to look over at me in guilt. "You caused this. I trusted that she wouldn't get hurt in your care. I. Trusted. You."

The Spaniard said nothing as he just stood there, frozen. "...We were just having f-"

"FUN?!" I shouted, zipping up from the chair, but not letting go of the hand I held. "You were drunk! SHE had to drive YOU! She's just a teenager you bastardo! She's not yours and your friends' chauffeur!"

"Lo siento." was all he could say.

This made tears prick at my eyes as I turned back to the wrapped face. "Apology not accepted." I growled.

"But-"

"Get. Out."

Days turned into weeks, and I heard nothing from Tomato bastard. I visited the hospital every day for as long as I could. I would spend hours upon hours of just sitting in her room, holding her hand, talking about old times like she could hear me, laugh with me, and respond with a smile. When I'd get home every night after getting kicked out of the hospital for the day, Feliciano would always ask for an update on _'s well being.

There were some days when I'd get to the hospital and find a bouquet of full, bright red roses on the table, or a stuffed turtle snuggled under _'s stiff, wrapped arm, or sometimes even Gilbird flying around in circles around her mummified head, tweeting away the hours. On occasion, I'd find white daisies, or British roses, or even a silver cross around her stiff neck. Even more rare, I'd see rice balls, tiny golden dragon statues, sunflowers, comic books titled "Captain America", or little teddy bears with maple leaves or maple syrup. I concluded that Feliciano blabbered off to Kiku, Yao, Ivan, Alfred, and that guy that looks so much like Alfred, but I can't remember his name.

There've also been nights when I came home to hear Feliciano talk about how sorry Francis and Gilbert were, and how everyone just wants _ to get better. I'd ask if he heard from Antonio at all, but my answer was always, "No. I hope he's okay though. I hadn't seen or heard from him since before the accident."

Then, one day, while I was visiting, a doctor came in and said the magic words. "_ is recovered enough to remove the bandages." He looked at me seriously and added, "She might look much different from how you remember. She'll most likely have scars that will last the rest of her life. Are you prepared to see her?"

I nodded. He started to unwrap her foot, then her other foot. He got up to her hips and already, she looked very burned and scarred. I could only imagine how bad her injuries were directly after the accident if this is what the doctors call "recovered". The doctor had to remove the many stuffed animals out of his way as he removed the wrappings from her chest and shoulders, stopping only to get the bandages from her fingers up her arms. When he finished with her neck, he worked around the tubes to unwrap her head and face. The loser the bandages got, the more short, (h/c), charred hair fell out the back of her head. The final bandage was finally removed from her face and I gazed at it in slight wonder.

Only minutes after she was unwrapped, she started to moan. This caught my attention. I watched as she opened her reddened, dilated eyes and looked around. "..._?" I called.

"Papa?" she called back, turning her head frantically. "Where are you?"

I pushed past the doctor to grab her hand. "Right here." I answered through tears. "Papa's right here, and not going anywhere."

_ looked confused, staring off into space as she reached her hand out to touch my face. "...Why can't I see you?" she asked.

"Ms. Vargas,"

"WAH!" She jumped, startled at the sound of the new voice. "Who's there? Where am I? What's going on?"

"_, calm down." I reassured. "It's just the doctor. You're at the hospital. You were in a car accident, remember, bella?"

She nodded as the doctor stepped closer. "Ms. Vargas, I just want to check you visibility." She seemed worried as the doctor clicked a pen and prepared to write notes on a pad of paper. "First, a question. Depending on your answer, we'll see if we can fix your sight problem." With that, he asked, "Where am I in the room?" As he asked this, he moved around to the other side of her bed silently.

I held my breath. _ looked confused. Tilting her head, she pointed to the general area where he was when he asked the question. That was nowhere near where he was now. With that, the doctor scribbled notes and gestured for me to follow him out to the hall.

The moment I started to slip from _'s grip, she tightened it. "What's going on?" she asked. "Where are you going, papa?"

"Don't worry, bella." I reassured. "I'll be right back." Reaching over, I grabbed a stuffed animal and placed it in her hands. "Everyone is worried about you, so they gave you flowers and stuffed animals. Here's a teddy bear from Alfred's brother."

"You mean Matthew?" she asked.

I nodded. "Si." With that, I kissed her head and left. "Torno subito indietro."

The doctor sighed as the door shut. "Mr. Vargas, It seems like your daughter has completely lost her sight. It is possible to do surgery and restore her sight to an extent, but then she'd need regular optometrist visits, and that's assuming the surgery would work. There is just as much possibility that the surgery won't work and her blindness is permanent. Either way, we'll need to wait for her eyes to heal before we do anything."

"How long would that take?" I asked.

"About six months." he answered. "During those six months, I strongly advise regular appointments with her optometrist. Aside from that, she should be ready to go home by tomorrow. I'd like to keep her here one more night to run a few more tests and observations."

I took in a deep breath and nodded. "Alright." I sighed, returning in the room.

_ turned her head over to me upon hearing the door open. "Who's there?" she asked.

"It's just me." I answered, grabbing her hand and sitting down. "The doctor said that there's a possibility that you can get your sight back."

"Really?" she asked, her face lighting up. "When?"

"In about six months, then we can try." I answered, causing her to groan. "He did say that you can come home tomorrow."

She smiled at that and stated, "I miss everyone."

"I know." I stated. Soon, she started to spread her arms and reach for me, her hands sliding up my arm. When her fingers reached one shoulder, she moved one hand to my other shoulder and pulled me close, sliding her arms across my back. I smiled as I returned the hug.

"...Papa," she called. "Can you get someone to come with you tomorrow? I want to see someone, and I can't wait until I get home. Even if it's Zio Feliciano. I'll just feel better if I have more than one pair of eyes looking out for me."

I gave off a sigh before I nodded. "Si. I'll come here with Feliciano to bring you home."

I left earlier than usual that day because she insisted that she was fine with the doctors and nurses. Keeping in mind her request, I made a bee line to Feliciano when I got home. I told him about how _ was doing and explained her request. "Can you ask someone else?" he asked. "I want to throw her a Welcome Home party and invite everyone over!"

I was slightly shocked but sighed. "Fine." I huffed, reaching for the phone. "I'll ask Tomato bastard then." I dialed the number and it started to ring.

sppov

I jumped when I heard my cell phone ring. As it played "Delicious Tomato", I just sat there, staring at the phone. Should I answer? Should I let it ring? Should I answer then hang up? I just didn't know what to do exactly. I slowly got up and took the small, mobile phone in my hand. After staring at it for a few more seconds, I depressingly walked over to my dresser and plopped the phone in the midst of all the cloths that not only drowned out the ringer, but also minimized the vibration. Once that was done, I slithered back to my couch and unenthusiastically, turned on the TV.

ropov

"Hola~! You've reached Antonio Fernández Carriedo~! Sorry you missed me~. Leave your nombre y número, and I'll catch you Lo antes posible~!"

"Dammit!" I cursed, slamming the phone on the receiver. "I'll have to find someone else to come with me."

The next day, I arrived at the hospital, smiling at _. "Hey, bella. You ready to go?"

She smiled and nodded. "Where's Zio Feliciano?" she asked.

I chuckled nervously. "Feliciano had...uh...other plans. Important things to do he couldn't miss out on."

She deflated at the sound of that. "...Oh."

"But I did bring someone with me who really wanted to see you." I stated in attempt to cheer her up. With her attention quirked, I turned to see that the man I brought with me wasn't next to me. Of course, even if she could see me, she'd be confused, maybe even more confused. I cracked open the door, scanning the hall for the blond I brought. When I found him, I shouted, "Hey! Bastardo! Do you want to see her or not?!"

"I'm coming!" he called, causing me to roll my eyes.

He came in the room as I started to gather _'s things and gifts. "Hey sugar!" he called, smiling wide at her. "Nice to actually see your face!"

I heard her giggle as she smiled. "Hey Alfred."


End file.
